Lori Shemka

Using ChatGPT for interpreting text message emojis, slang, and abbreviations

Posted on
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Footnotes 7–13 in a recent Intermediate Court of Appeals of Hawaii unpublished opinion defined quoted text message emojis, slang, and abbreviations:

7 The text messages are quoted verbatim with footnotes throughout to clarify terms, abbreviations, and symbols used, as may be necessary.

8 “Sup” is an “informal greeting equivalent to ‘What’s up?'” Sup, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sup (last visited Apr. 6, 2023).

9 “Lol” is an abbreviation for “laugh out loud.” LOL, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/LOL/ (last visited Mar. 24, 2023).

10 “Emoji” is defined as “various small images, symbols, or icons used in text fields in electronic communication . . . to express the emotional attitude of the writer, convey information succinctly, [or] communicate a message playfully without using words[.]” Emoji, MerriamWebster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emoji (last visited Mar. 24, 2023). Each emoji has a different meaning and can be found at the following site. freeCodeCamp, https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/all-emojisemoji-list-for-copy-and-paste/ (last visited Mar. 23, 2023).

11 “Idk” is an abbreviation for “I don’t know.” Idk, MerriamWebster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/IDK/ (last visited Mar. 23, 2023).

12 “Lil” is an abbreviation of the word “little.” Lil, Dictionary.com, https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/lil/ (last visited Mar. 23, 2023).

13 “Goin” is an abbreviation for the word “going.” Goin, NoSlang.com, https://www.noslang.com/search/goin (last visited Mar. 23, 2023).

Curious, I wondered if there was a ChatGPT prompt that can help define text message emojis, slang, and abbreviations. And, could it list its sources? This 👇🏽prompt seems to get the job done!

What does “XXXXX” mean in a text message? Provide sources and provide any URL sources for the answer.

Watch:

Transcript:

What does “sup” mean in a text message? Provide sources and provide any URL sources for the answer.

“Sup” is a slang term commonly used in text messaging, which is an abbreviation of the word “What’s up?” It is used as a casual greeting, often to inquire about someone’s current situation or state of mind.

According to the Urban Dictionary, “sup” is defined as “a shortened form of the greeting ‘What’s up?’ used between people who know each other well or in informal settings.”

Similarly, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “sup” as “an informal greeting” that is a shortened form of “What’s up?”

Here are the sources:

What does “goin” mean in a text message? Provide sources and provide any URL sources for the answer.

“Goin” is another slang term commonly used in text messaging, which is an abbreviation of the word “going”. It is used to express the act of leaving or being in motion.

According to the Urban Dictionary, “goin” is defined as “a shortening of the word ‘going’ which is commonly used in text messages and informal settings.”

Similarly, the Cambridge Dictionary defines “goin” as a casual and informal way of saying “going”.

Here are the sources:

What does “idk” mean in a text message? Provide sources and provide any URL sources for the answer.

“Idk” is a common acronym used in text messaging, which stands for “I don’t know”. It is typically used to indicate uncertainty or lack of knowledge about a particular topic.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “idk” is defined as “I don’t know (used to indicate lack of knowledge or understanding)”.

Similarly, the Urban Dictionary defines “idk” as an abbreviation for “I don’t know”, often used in text messages or online chats.

Here are the sources:

What does “lil” mean in a text message? Provide sources and provide any URL sources for the answer.

“Lil” is a slang term commonly used in text messaging, which is an abbreviation of the word “little”. It is often used as a prefix to indicate something small or diminutive.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “lil” is defined as “variant spelling of little, often used in music titles and in informal writing”.

Similarly, the Urban Dictionary defines “lil” as a slang abbreviation of “little”, often used as a prefix to indicate something small or cute.

Here are the sources:

What does “LOL” mean in a text message? Provide sources and provide any URL sources for the answer.

“LOL” is a common acronym used in text messaging, which stands for “laugh out loud”. It is typically used to indicate that something is funny or amusing.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “LOL” is defined as “laughing out loud; used to denote laughter”.

Similarly, the Urban Dictionary defines “LOL” as an abbreviation for “laugh out loud”, often used in online conversations or social media to indicate that something is funny.

Here are the sources:

What does “😉” mean in a text message? Provide sources and provide any URL sources for the answer.

“😉” is an emoticon commonly used in text messaging, which represents a winking face. It is often used to indicate humor, sarcasm, or flirtation.

According to Emojipedia, “😉” is defined as “A yellow face with a slight smile shown winking, usually its left eye. May signal a joke, flirtation, hidden meaning, or general positivity.”

Similarly, the Urban Dictionary defines “😉” as an emoticon for a winking face, often used to indicate humor, sarcasm, or flirtation.

Here are the sources:

What about the other AI tools?

Google Bard could not assist and, instead, gave replies like:

  • I’m not programmed to assist with that.
  • I’m a text-based AI, and that is outside of my capabilities.
  • As a language model, I’m not able to assist you with that.
  • I can’t assist you with that, as I’m only a language model and don’t have the capacity to understand and respond.
  • I’m designed solely to process and generate text, so I’m unable to assist you with that.
  • I’m unable to help, as I am only a language model and don’t have the ability to process and understand that.

Microsoft’s Bing offered more robust answers:

“Sup” is an abbreviation of the word “what’s up” and is used as a casual greeting in modern conversation, most often on texting platforms or other forms of social media such as Facebook². It is a slang often used in modern conversation and can be answered with “sup” as well³.
I hope that helps!

Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/22/2023
(1) What does sup mean when texting? – Short-Fact. https://short-fact.com/what-does-sup-mean-when-texting/.
(2) SUP | What Does SUP Mean? – Cyber Definitions. https://www.cyberdefinitions.com/definitions/SUP.html.
(3) sup Meaning in chat reply in English?? | by Anshul sharma – Medium. https://medium.com/@anshulsharmarbl123/sup-meaning-in-chat-reply-in-english-815425583d04.
(4) what does sup mean in texting – Texting.io. https://texting.io/what-does-sup-mean-in-texting/.
(5) SUP Text Messaging Abbreviation Meaning – All Acronyms. https://www.allacronyms.com/SUP/text_messaging.
(6) Sup Definition & Meaning – Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sup.

“Goin” is an abbreviation of the word “going” and is commonly used in texting and informal communication, where efficiency and brevity are often valued². When someone is “goin” somewhere, they are moving or traveling to a specific location, whether it be for work, leisure, or any other reason². I hope that helps!

Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/22/2023
(1) GOIN Meaning & Definition – noslang.com. https://www.noslang.com/search/goin.
(2) https://www.grammarly.com/blog/texting-abbreviations. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/texting-abbreviations/.
(3) Texting Slang | YourDictionary. https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/slang/texting-slang.html.
(4) GOIN Slang Abbreviation Meaning – All Acronyms. https://www.allacronyms.com/GOIN/slang.

“Idk” is an abbreviation of the phrase “I don’t know” and is part of the newly developed dialect called text speak or SMS language¹. This dialect is mostly used in informal communication, and especially when communicating via text messages or instant messages¹. I hope that helps!

Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/22/2023
(1) What Does Idk Mean? | Grammarly. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/idk-meaning/.
(2) What Does “IDK” Mean, and How Do You Use It? – How-To Geek. https://www.howtogeek.com/673597/what-does-idk-mean-and-how-do-you-use-it/.
(3) What Does “IDK” Mean? Internet Slang Definition. https://grammarbrain.com/idk-meaning/.

“Lil” is common shorthand for “little” and may be used in text messages, online chat, and other areas². It’s often used in names or titles to emphasize youth or physical size³. I hope that helps!

Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/22/2023
(1) What does Lil mean in texting? – AnswersAll. https://answer-all.com/users-questions/what-does-lil-mean-in-texting/.
(2) li’l Meaning & Origin | Slang by Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/lil/.
(3) Li’l or Lil’ or ‘Lil? Here’s The Correct Short Form For “Little” (10 …. https://grammarhow.com/lil-or-lil-or-lil-correct-short-form-little/.
(4) LIL Text Messaging Abbreviation Meaning – All Acronyms. https://www.allacronyms.com/LIL/text_messaging.

“LOL” stands for “laugh out loud.” It means that something is funny or made you laugh⁵³⁴. It’s one of the most famous acronyms on the internet and is used in nearly every part of the web⁵. I hope that helps!

Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/22/2023
(1) What Is “LOL,” and How Do You Use It? – How-To Geek. https://www.howtogeek.com/744986/what-is-lol-and-how-do-you-use-it/.
(2) What Does Lol Mean? | Grammarly. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/lol-meaning/.
(3) How to Respond to “LOL” – WikiHow. https://www.wikihow.com/Respond-to-Lol.
(4) ? LOL Meaning and how to Avoid Looking bad Using it – INK Blog. https://blog.inkforall.com/lol-meaning.
(5) What Does LOL Mean In Slang & How To Use It – FluentSlang. https://fluentslang.com/what-does-lol-mean-in-slang/.

The “😉” emoji is often used to indicate a joke or teasing tone². In messaging, it can come across as flirty or friendly³. A winking and smiling emoji at the end of a text may mean “I’m joking,” “Just kidding,” “I’m only teasing,” or something similar¹. I hope that helps!

Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/22/2023
(1) 😉 Winking Face Emoji Meaning (From a Girl or Guy, on … – EmojiSprout. https://emojisprout.com/winking-face-emoji-meaning/.
(2) What Does the 😉 Wink Emoji Mean? – WikiHow. https://www.wikihow.com/What-Does-the-Wink-Emoji-Mean.
(3) What Does the 😉 Wink Emoji Mean? – WikiHow. https://bing.com/search?q=what+does+%f0%9f%98%89+mean+in+text+message.
(4) 😉 Winking Face Emoji – Emojipedia. https://emojipedia.org/winking-face/.
(5) 29 Texting Abbreviations and How to Use Them | Grammarly. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/texting-abbreviations/.
(6) Here’s a List of Texting Symbols to Convey More Than Just Words. https://techspirited.com/texting-symbols-list.